Love RemainsSample

Week 2: Together

AWAKENED

It happened. Just like Jesus said it would, the Holy Spirit arrived, and all bets were off. The Spirit moved like a violent wind, empowering the disciples to preach in every language present in Jerusalem at that time. 

From there, the fire spread. Peter preached. Miracles occurred. Christ-followers shared everything they had, and the good, redeeming love of Jesus moved. It transformed lives — body, mind, and soul — and laid the groundwork for ushering in the upside-down kingdom of God. A kingdom where the first would be last and the last would be first. A kingdom defined by service and love, peace and patience, community and togetherness. 

It’s clear throughout the book of Acts that the Spirit burns brightest when we move together. In Acts chapter one, right after Matthias is selected to replace Judas as one of the 12, the believers all joined together — men and women continually praying together. 

In Acts chapter two, they were together in one place just in time for the Holy Spirit to arrive. And later, after the whirlwind events at Pentecost, we’re repeatedly told that they came together, having everything in common and giving to those who had need. 

While God's radical love and grace transform each one of us individually, the movement of Christ is so powerful, so awe-inspiring, that it cannot be contained to the individual. It bursts out, transforming entire communities, compelling us to remove ourselves as the central focus of our lives, seeing ourselves as part of a whole. God knows each one of us so intimately, just as a mother knows her child. And yet, he created us to move, serve, and worship together — asking for help when we need it and extending a hand when we see others in need. 

This picture of togetherness casts a beautiful vision of the church and the world as God intended it to be. But often, this vision is much easier to imagine than it is to live out. Much like we do today, the early Christians had to wrestle with who was included in their idea of togetherness.

WHO IS INCLUDED?

In Acts chapter 6, a disagreement broke out between two Jewish groups: the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews. The Hebraic Jews had lived their entire lives in Jerusalem. They spoke Hebrew and followed traditional Hebraic customs. The Hellenistic Jews, on the other hand, had previously lived outside of Jerusalem. Many of their ancestors had been sold into slavery during the Babylonian exile in 70 AD, so they had grown up speaking Greek and following Greek customs, becoming a people that seemed wholly different from the Hebraic Jews.

It’s likely the Hebraic Jews looked down on the Hellenistic Jews, thinking of themselves as “insiders” and the Hellenistic as “outsiders,” this heart-level belief eventually leading to the mistreatment of the Hellenistic widows. 

Gossip. Dissension. Jealousy. Marginalization. All of these things happened because the Hebraic Jews decided that the Hellenistic Jews were somehow other. Though they were Christ-followers, and even Jews, the Hebraic Jews drew a line and put the Hellenistic Jews outside of it, leaving their definition of together to include only those who looked, thought, and acted like them.

How often do we do this, whether intentionally or unintentionally? Believing lies about certain groups of people, Casting ourselves as better or more deserving than someone else simply because we come from a different cultural, economic or religious background. 

It’s almost natural for us humans to set rules and draw lines to build ourselves up and/or protect ourselves from something different or unknown. It’s a sin called pride that scripture continually reminds us to keep in check. But the radical vision God had for creation was that together would mean all of us — every tribe, every tongue, and every nation.

The restorative ending to this story gives us hope. Under the leadership of the 12 disciples, the Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews chose a group of leaders to oversee the fair distribution of food to the widows. But the real miracle? Together, they selected a group of leaders made up entirely of Hellenistic Jews. Together, they saw a need to give a marginalized group a greater power and voice. And together, they spread God’s love further as the newly empowered Hellenistic Jews began teaching in Jerusalem and taking the message of Christ to the Gentile communities from which they came.

This is the church we belong to and the church we get to keep building — a church that moves together, bringing a message of hope to all who will hear it. 

Reflection

Who is included in your definition of together? How might you need to expand that definition?